A concise guide to writing a thesis or dissertation: educational research and beyond

Table of Contents
List of illustrations

Preface

Part I: The Big Picture

Part II: Framework and Substance of Chapters

Chapter One. Introduction

Chapter Two. Review of the Literature

Chapter Three. Methodology

Chapter Four. Findings and Analysis

Chapter Five. Summary, Discussion of Findings and Conclusions, and Recommendations

References

Appendix A. Rubric for Evaluating Writing

Appendix B. APA Skill Building Exercises

Appendix C. Examples of Purpose Statements

Appendix D. Research Planning Organizer

Appendix E. Guide for Scholarly Writing

Appendix F. Guide for Oral Presentations

Index

Book Description
A Concise Guide to Writing a Thesis or Dissertation provides clear, succinct, and intentional guidelines about organizing and writing a thesis or dissertation. Part I provides an overview for writing a thesis or dissertation. It describes the big picture of planning and formatting a research study, from identifying a topic to focusing on writing quality. Part II describes the framework and substance of a research study. It models the pattern generally found in a formal, five-chapter research study.

Each chapter of a thesis or dissertation has a specific purpose, and this book focuses on each in an easy-to-follow structure. Chapter One reviews the headings and contents expected in the introduction of a study. Chapter Two provides advice for writing a literature review. Chapter Three discusses what to include when describing the methodology. These first three chapters form the proposal section of a study. Two additional chapters present results (Chapter Four) and provide discussion and conclusions (Chapter Five).

Appendices offer resources for instructors and students, including a rubric for evaluating writing, exercises to strengthen skills in APA format, sample purpose statements, a research planning organizer, and a guide for scholarly writing. The book is designed overall to be a practical guide and resource for students for their thesis or dissertation process.